on the hunt for good art

If These Plates Could Talk…

Karen Ryan is a British designer whose work reflects on domestic life through an inquiry of everyday objects. In her series Second Hand (via heart and design) Ryan removed the glazes on vintage china to reveal alarming messages, perhaps signaling the inner-psychology of the objects’ past owners. Ryan uses charged words like “Guilt” and “Anger,” inciting us, the viewers, to conjure up these unknown histories. We ask ourselves, “Who owned this plate and what occurred behind their closed doors?” The series taps into our fascination with the private lives of others but, like the walls they were once housed in, these plates don’t say much.

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As the artist explains, “I remove the decorative patterns that camouflage our everyday lies and in its place I leave words that prick our conscience and create portraits of hidden domestics left open for others to interpret.“